Refrigerating apparatus



Nov. 19, 1946. L. A. PHlLlPP REFaIeBRuim APPARATUS Filed Dec. 10, 1942 2 Sheets-$11561, 1

lNVflvmR. Lama. 41. Pun-0n- Nov. 19 1 946. L. A. PHILIPP REFRIGERATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 10, 1942 w a =4 I r -II|II1I!IIIIII. lllllllllll lllll Illlllllllllilii'll' l v j TN N u I INVENTOR. Lama I1. Pmuwr' the present invention Patented Nov. 19, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Lawrence A. Philipp, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Nash-Kelvinator Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Maryland Application December 10, 1942, Serial hlo. 468,487,-

8 Claims. 1' 62-89) This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus. 7

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved arrangement in a multiple rator 38 is secured to the exterior wall of the I liner 22 and extends across a portion of the rear wall and the bottom .wall of the liner. The

evaporator 38 is utilized for cooling a portion of the food storage compartment 38 by absorbing heat through the walls of the liner. The evaporator 36 is positioned in the upper portion of the food storage compartment and is utilized for freezing substances and for cooling circulating Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

air in the upper portion of the food storage compartment 36.

Located in the machine compartment 32 is a refrigerant condensing unit 46. The condensing unit includes a motor compressor unit 42 which compresses refrigerant and delivers it to a 'condenser 46 wherein it is liquified and from which it is delivered to the evaporator 36 through-a small diameter conduit 56. This small diameter conduit 58 controls the flow of refrigerant flowing to evaporator 36 by metering the correct amount of liquid refrigerant. Evaporated refrigerant is Fig. 1 is a view in elevation and partly broken.

away of a refrigerator embodying features of m invention;

Fig. 2 is a view taken along line 2- -2 of Fig. 1; F1Fig. 3 is a view taken along thev line 3-3 of Fig. 4 is a view taken along the Fig. 2

Fig. 5 is a view taken along theline 5-5 of Fig. 2; and g Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing a channel member embodying features of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 26 designates, in general, a refrigerator cabinet having an inner metallic liner 22 and an outer metallic casing 24.. Interposed between the inner liner 22 and the outer casing 2t is insulation 21. The inner liner 22 forms walls of food storage compartment 36. In the lower portion of the cabinet is provided a machine compartment 32. The front part of the food storage compartment is closed by door 33 and the front part of the machine compartment 321s closed by door 34 which carries a movable vegetable bin 35.

The-refrigerator herein disclosed is of the multiple temperature type and includes an ice making evaporator 36 of a primary refrigerating system positioned in the food storage compartment 38, and also includes a relatively high temperature evaporator 38 which forms a part of a secondary refrigerating system. The evapoline of The evaporator. 52 is positioned in the insula-.

tion' between the inner casing and outer casing and is coiled about a tank 64, which tank iscon- 'nected to the evaporator 38 in such a manner that both ends of theevaporator 38 are in open communication with the interior of the tank 66. Liquid refrigerant passing through, the small diameter conduit 50 first passes to the evaporator 62 whereit is in good heat exchange relation with the tank 54 to condense any evaporated refrigerant contained in the tank 54. The liquid refrigerant then passes through evaporator 52 into conduit whence it flows into the primary evaporator 36. Preferably, the'evaporator 36 is of the so-called fiooded'type and operates below the freezing point of water during operation of the condensing. unit. The high temperature evaporator 38 is utilized for cooling the lower portion of the food storage compartment through the walls of the liner, and preferably this evaporator operates at a temperature above the freezing point of water at least part of the time.

Within the food storage compartment there are provided glass shelves 64, 66 and 68. These shelves are horizontally positloned in the food storage compartment and extend from the front of the cabinet to a point-adjacent the rear wall of the liner. As will be noted, the shelves are slightly spaced from the rear wall of the liner and is frozen out thereon.

so as to permit a slight circulation of air along the rear wall of the liner above and below the glass shelves.

tion thereof, I have provided glass doors 12, which Adjacent the front part of the food storage compartment and at the lower pordoors cooperate vwith the bottom -wall of the liner and glass shelf 66 to provide-for enclosing erated by evaporator 38.

Any suitable form of insulation maybe utilized between the inner liner and outer casing.

such, for example, as cork herein shown,-or other well known insulating materials, such, for example, as corrugated paper, rock wool? or other iibrous material, as desired. v

In refrigerators of the type herein disclosed wherein liner cooling is employed, there is a tendency to collect moisture on the refrigerant lining-member, and in the absence of some provisions for disposing of such moisture the insulation becomes wetted and loses its insulating qualities.

nels II and in the insulation extending up the rear wall of'the liner I have provided channels 80. These channels are adjacent the evaporator 38 and each channel 80 is in open communication with a channel 18. Also, in the upper portion of the cabinet I haveprovided metallic channel members 82 which are in open communication with the channels 80. These metallic channel members-are utilized in connection with insulation, herein denoted as 88, as the insulation. '86 is adapted to be removed from the cabinet in the event it is desired to remove the evaporator 38 therefrom. In such case it may be desirable to utilize insulation atthis particular place of the typewhich may be loose fibrous material since it may be readily removed and inserted about the channel members 82 and the evaporator 52. A removable panel 90 is provided at the rear of the insulation 86 and an opening 92 is provided in the liner 22. This opening will permit the removal of the evaporator 36 through the rear wall of the cabinet without disconnecting the-refrigerant conduits associated therewith. The opening 92 is partially closed by cover panel 98; which is secured to the liner by studs 100. It is noted that this cover panel 98 is spaced from the inner liner 22 so as to allow a passage 99 between the food storage compartment and the insulation on the exterior of the side of the liner 22. It willalso be noted that the opening 92 is adjacent the channel members 82 whereby a passageway is provided from the interior of the food storage compartment through the space 99 between theliner 2-2 and cover plate 98 and through the spaces provided by channel members 82 and channels 80 and 18. Consequently, there is acomplete passage open between the evaporator 38 and the,

become wetted and lose its insulating characteristics. In actual test of such an arrangement;

'a high humidity compartment which is refrigevaporators positioned between the inner liner and outer casing and on the exterior walls of the In order to overcome this obiec- 8 tion, I have providedin the insulation immediately below the bottom wall of the liner, chansulation being spaced from said evaporator posievaporator.

3. Refrigeratingapparatus comprising a cabi-- 4 v it has been found that insulation as originally installed in the refrigerator contains some moisture and after a period of operation in a refrigerator, as herein disclosed, the actual moisture content of the insulation was less than when originally inserted in the refrigerator. It will, therefore, be noted that in my improved refrigerator the insulation remains dry although multiple temperatures are maintained and liner cooling forms a part of the refrigerator.

Further details of the cabinet construction and refrigerant primary and secondary systems herein disclosed and the operation of said systems, to-

gethei' withthe air flow in the cabinet, are more specifically described in my Patent No. 2,361,792, issued October 31, 1944, for'Refrigerating apparatus, of which the present application is an improvement and has provisions for venting the insulation between the high and low temperature evaporators whereby moisture is allowed to difluse in the air and pass to the low temperature evaporator.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of claims.

Iclaim:

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having an inner liner andanouter casing, insulation between said liner and easing, said liner forming walls of a food storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporator positioned in said food compartment and being adapted to operate at a relatively low temperature, and a refrigerant evaporator positioned on the exterior surface of said liner and being adapted to operate at a relatively high temperature and above the freezing point of water at least part of the time, said intioned on said liner and said liner having an opening in a wall thereof communicating with the space between the insulation and liner to establish a communication path between said evaporators to allow-for water vapor diffusion in air from the moisture collected on the relatively high temperature evaporator to flow to the relatively low temperature evaporator.

2. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having an inner liner and an outer casin insulation between said liner and-casing, said liner forming walls of a food storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporator positioned in said food compartment and being adapted to operate at a relatively low temperature, and a refrigerant evaporator positionedon the exterior surface of said liner and being adapted to operate at a relatively high temperature and above the freezing point of water at least part of the time, said insulation being channelled adjacent said evaporator positioned on said liner and-said liner having an opening in a wall thereof communieating with the channelled space betweenthe insulation and liner to establish a communication path between said evaporators to allow for water vapor diffusion in air from the moisture collected on. the relatively high temperature-evaporator to. flow to the relatively low temperature net, a liner for said cabinet, said liner having an opening, a relatively low temperature evaporator positioned in said cabinet on the interior side of the appended said liner, a relatively high temperature evaporator positioned in said cabinet on the opposite side ofsaid liner, and insulation positioned in said cabinet adjacent said high temperature evaporator, said high temperautre evaporator being adapted to operate above the freezing point of water at least a portion of the time and being so positioned as to condense out moisture from the air contacting said insulation and high temperature evaporator and said insulation including a channel to provide ;with said liner opening a vent for water vapor diffusion in air from moisture collected on the relatively high temperature evaporator so that said moisture may flow to the relatively low temperature evaporator.

4. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a liner forming walls of a food storage compartment and having'an opening, a refrigerant evaporator positioned in heat exchange relation with an exterior surface of said liner, a relatively low temperature evaporator in said food storage compartment. of said cabinet and insulation channelled to allow a vent along said exterior surface of said liner to said opening to provide a path for the passage of vapor from-one evaporator to the other,

5. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a liner forming walls of the food storage compartment and having an opening, a refrigerant evaporator secured to the exterior rear surface of said liner, a relatively coldtrefrigerant evaporator positioned in said food compartment of said cabinet, and insulation positioned adjacent said exterior rear surface of said liner and being provided with a channelled portion to allow a passageway to said opening to provide afpath for the passage of vapor from one evaporator to the other.

6. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a liner forming walls of a food compartment and having an opening, a refrigerant evaporator secured to the exterior rear and bottom, wail of said liner, a relatively low temperature evaporator positioned in said food compartment of said cabinet, and insulation positioned adjacent said rearand bottom walls of said liner on the exterior side of said liner and being provided with a channelled portion to provide a passageway to said opening to provide a path for the passage of vapor from one evaporator to the other.

'l. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cab- I inet having a liner forming walls of a food storage compartment, a refrigerant evaporator secured to the exterior rear and bottom walls oi said liner, a relatively low temperature evaporator positioned in said cabinet in the interior of said liner in said compartment, said liner being provided with an opening in its rear wall, and insulation positioned on the exterior of said liner adjacent said rear and bottom walls and being channelled along the rear and bottom walls to provide a passageway to said opening and between said evaporators.

8. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cam-- net having a linerforming walls of a food storage compartment, a secondary refrigerant evaporator secured to the exterior rear and bottom walls of said liner, a relatively low temperature primary refrigerant evaporator positioned in said food storage compartment of said cabinet, said liner being provided with an opening, an insulation positioned on the exterior side of said liner adjacent said rear and bottom walls of said liner 7 and being provided with a, channelled portion to provide a passageway to said opening to provide. a communication path between said evaporators.

LAWRENCE A. RHILIPP. 

